


The Louder The Better

by agrajag



Series: 4thewords [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Bottom Newton Geiszler, First Dates, Getting Together, M/M, Newton Geiszler Has ADHD, Punk Rock, Rimming, Top Hermann Gottlieb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 11:33:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15581049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: "Hermann, are you feeling alright?" he asked. He sounded sincerely concerned that Hermann was taken aback for a moment."Oh, yes, Newton I'm fine. I just need to, well...""Take that stick up your ass out once in awhile?" Newton joked.Andthatwas the Newton that Hermann was used to."If that's the way you must put it," Hermann said as he rubbed his eyes, "then yes.""And you wantmyhelp?" Newton asked, pointing to himself. His gloves were covered in kaiju blue, which ended up spraying all over his shirt. "You're actually asking me for help?""I wouldn't say 'help.' More like advice."Newt takes Hermann to a punk show.





	The Louder The Better

They never had much down time. Stopping the kaiju was everyone's top priority, after all. However, even with the knowledge that the kaiju were attacking more often, those who worked at the various Shatterdomes across the world couldn't work without taking a break once in awhile. For Hermann, it was difficult. He couldn't seem to turn his mind off. One night in the lab, he opened up to Newton about it, and his colleague was surprisingly quiet. Hermann had never heard Newton be so silent. For a moment, he was worried that he had finally crossed the unspoken line between the two of them. They would argue and then make up in their own way. They would never admit to anyone, least of all themselves, but they were friends to an extent, even if they weren't that close. They didn't discuss anything more serious than their work. Which, Hermann personally thought was more important than any of his personal problems, though he knew that most others would disagree. And he knew that in order to do his best, he needed to step back from said work every once in awhile and recharge, and if he couldn't figure out how to do that on his own, then he wasn't above looking for outside help. He thought Newton would have a good idea on how to do that since he seemed to be of the hyperactive sort. Not that he was trying to stereotype him or anything. Maybe he had, however, and that was why Newton was so quiet. Hermann had truly offended him. They definitely got on each other's nerves on a near daily basis, but neither had ever offended the other to the point where there was no repairing their working relationship, and now Hermann had ruined everything by asking Newton what he had assumed to be a simple question. It had felt like an eternity before Newton finally spoke, although at most it had to have been a few minutes.

"Hermann, are you feeling alright?" he asked. He sounded sincerely concerned that Hermann was taken aback for a moment.

"Oh, yes, Newton I'm fine. I just need to, well..."

"Take that stick up your ass out once in awhile?" Newton joked.

And _that_ was the Newton that Hermann was used to.

"If that's the way you must put it," Hermann said as he rubbed his eyes, "then yes."

"And you want _my_ help?" Newton asked, pointing to himself. His gloves were covered in kaiju blue, which ended up spraying all over his shirt. "You're actually asking me for help?"

"I wouldn't say 'help.' More like advice."

"Okay, in all seriousness, of course I'll help you, Herms. Having had to deal with ADHD my whole life, I know exactly what you're going through. And it's tough enough trying to get your mind off of stuff when you're used to hyperfixation, so I can only imagine how it feels for you. You haven't had to fight your brain like that your whole life, and suddenly all you can see when you close your sweet, little German eyes are numbers and Pi and, like, Einstein and shit. It's gotta suck big time."

Hermann shook his head as he tried his hardest not to laugh.

"That has to be up in the top ten most ridiculous sentences you've ever uttered, and that's definitely saying something."

"Anyway, Herms, my point is this. While I still obviously have trouble sometimes, I also happen to know a decent amount of tricks dealing with this kind of stuff, so you made the right choice coming to me."

"I'm starting to regret that choice," Hermann muttered under his breath.

Newton ignored him and soldiered on.

"I can totally help you. Now, my personal favorite is music."

"Oh no."

"Shut up, Hermann. Now, I know you hate my music, but I'm telling you, the louder the better. You want something engaging, though. So, yeah, my type of loud music might not be the best for you. I like it because I'm a fucking rock star, okay? They're singing about fucking up the system and tearing down the man. That's stuff that I care about."

"Newton, you work for the system," Hermann pointed out.

"This is different. This is... it's totally different!" Newton shouted. He stripped off his gloves and tossed them in the general vicinity of one of the trash cans. He marched over to Hermann's side of the lab and stuck his finger in Hermann's face. "Like, what the PPDC is doing is so punk rock. Everyone banding together? Ignoring past discretions to do what is best for the world? Now that is the _definition_ of punk rock."

Hermann swatted Newton's hand away hoping the action would distract Newton from the fact that his little outburst was making Hermann smile.

"Alright, point taken, Newton. What we are doing is incredibly noble, and I can see how it does fit in with your personal ideologies."

"Thank you, Herms. That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Now, back to the matter at hand, what I was saying is, it needs to be loud, but it needs to be for you, and we can find something, I'm sure. Punk isn't the only loud music. There's rap, there's pop, there's disco."

Hermann couldn't control it anymore. He burst out laughing, quickly cover his mouth to stifle the sound. "Disco?"

"Hell yeah, man! Disco was black and it was gay and it was female and it was unapologetic about it. That's what I'm talking about."

"So, when you say 'loud,' you don't necessarily mean the literal definition of loud."

"Yeah, now you're getting it. Though, having the volume up as much as possible definitely helps."

"Well, while I thank you for your advice, Newton, it sounds like you're encouraging me to simply blast these thoughts from my head, and I don't think that's going to work. Perhaps for you, but not for me, at least."

Hermann picked up his glasses from where they were hanging around his neck and perched them back on his nose. He turned around toward his blackboard to pick up where he left off on the equation that had been puzzling him for the last week, but Newton was faster and inserted himself between Hermann and the blackboard.

"Seriously dude?" he shouted, and he was far too close for his voice to be at such a volume. Hermann felt like his ears were ringing. "You ask me for help, but you're not even gonna try what I suggest? Like, all you gotta do is try it once. Otherwise, that was kinda fucking rude, my man."

"Well, I'm sorry if I offended you, Newton. I promise, that was not my intention. I did want your advice, but I just feel like it isn't the solution I need."

"But how can you possible know that without trying? God, you are insufferable, you know that?" Newton ran over to his desk, practically ripped open one of the drawers, and pulled out what looked to be two tickets. He came back over to Hermann and shoved them in his face. "I just so happen to have an extra ticket for an Au Revoir Arms show I'm going to on Friday," he said, confirming Hermann's suspicions. "You should come with me."

"I thought you said that I shouldn't listen to your type of music since it isn't the right fit for me."

"Well, that was before you decided to completely ignore my advice. Maybe I gotta try a direct approach to try and get this through your thick skull."

"Being mean to me isn't going to make me say yes."

"You're already holding the ticket. You have to go."

Hermann looked blankly down at his hand where Newton must have slipped the ticket while they were talking.

"Tricking me also does not count, Newton," Hermann said, but he took the ticket and placed it in his pocket. "What kind of name is Au Revoir Arms?"

"Listen, I know it's a pretty dumb name. They're French." Newton shrugged. "What am I supposed to say?"

Newton turned around before he could hear Hermann's 'So much for the whole world putting aside past discretions' and went back to the kaiju stomach sample he had been dissecting earlier. They worked the rest of the day in relative silence. At one point, Newton put on music, naturally. Hermann asked if he could put on some Au Revoir Arms so he could have an idea as to what he'd gotten himself into, but Newton had laughed and said absolutely not. Apparently he wanted Hermann to be completely surprised when they got to the show on Friday. Hermann should have been expecting that, so he went back to working on his equation without arguing with him. His mind did start to wander as whoever was playing from Newton's CD player sang about how they needed 'a few good men, degenerates need not apply' and he realized he shouldn't have so casually brushed Newton's advice aside. Music could be usefully distracting. He knew that all too well from the years spent with Newton. There were several dozen formal complaints to the marshal proving just how distracting Hermann found Newton's music in a working setting. So it would be safe to say he would still find it distracting say he were reading a book or folding his laundry. He had to admit, then, that Newton did have a point. He was amazed he had never thought about taking advantage of that. Then again, how many people willingly listened to music they didn't enjoy as a leisurely activity? What if someone passed by his room one night and heard him playing something 'loud' and thought that he honestly enjoyed that music? Hermann wasn't exactly the type of person who cared deeply what others thought about him, but he might care a little bit if they thought he listened to the same type of noise that Newton that listened to. Though, perhaps they would simply think that being cooped up in the same lab with Newton for too long had finally gotten to him. He couldn't be blamed for parts of their personalities combining.

Or then again, he could look into purchasing some headphones.

The rest of the week passed in a blur of chalk dust and rock and roll. Newton continued to refuse playing any Au Revoir Arms, but Hermann was subjected to a wide variety of bands each day. Normally Newton would show up the lab in the mood to listen to a certain band and would end up listening to several of their albums through the day. However, now that he had taken it upon himself to musically educate Hermann, he would skip from band to band after playing songs from each he thought that would 'speak' to him. Each song came with it's own little lesson, and in merely four days, Hermann felt as if he knew the entire history of punk and metal. Newton would look at him hopefully after every song, though more often than not Hermann would sadly shake his head. They both knew that he much preferred classical and folk music with an occasional alternative band thrown in the mix every once in awhile. He was honestly surprised that Newton almost seemed to refuse to play him some of the softer stuff, because Hermann knew it existed. Every genre had sub genre upon sub genre, and he figured there must be some punk band out there that he might actually enjoy. He brought it up on Thursday which only caused Newton to laugh. "While I love a good pop punk jam as much as the next guy," he had said, "don't think I'm gonna go easy on you. I'll find something harder that you like first." Well, Hermann had tried, he supposed. He couldn't be blamed for that. By the time they were packing up their things in the lab, about to head to their rooms to get ready for their big night out, Newton had failed in finding a song that Hermann admitted he liked. He had been nice enough to let Newton know he didn't hate every single song, but it didn't exactly lift Newton's spirits as Hermann had hoped. Because, despite everything, Hermann did care about Newton's well being and, with how invested Newton was in this elaborate scheme, it was obvious that he cared about Hermann's well being as well. If in his own weird little way. He had even offered to help Hermann pick out an outfit as they were walking back to their respective rooms. Hermann had to stop himself from being a blushing mess as he declined. He had been, for the most part, successfully ignoring the little flutter he got whenever Newton began passionately talking about things he found enjoyable for the better part of their relationship, but now he'd been forced to face with it head on and he wasn't sure how he as going to survive seeing Newton in his element at the Au Revoir Arms show. The last thing he needed was Newton in his room. While he was getting dressed. He had told Newton not to bother. It wasn't like he had anything that was remotely acceptable to wear. No matter how hard he, or Newton, tried he was still going to stick out like a sore thumb. He told himself that as long as he was there with someone who definitely looked the part, the other patrons would simply write him off as a friend who had been dragged along with a fan.

Nothing could have prepared him, however, for how much Newton looked the part. Obviously he knew that although Newton practically got away with murder when it came to pushing the definition of professional attire on a day to day basis, that it was nothing compared to how he dressed in his down time. He had seen it on a few occasions, but it had been awhile, though. He couldn't recall ever seeing the studded bracelets and he swore the jeans Newton was wearing were somehow even tighter then the ones he normally wore in the lab. The slightly dirty dress shirt was traded for a band tee that was obviously well loved as evident by the small holes around the arm pits as well as a few on the hem. It was bright yellow, which surprised Hermann. He would have thought that Newton would go for something black. The design was a crude drawing of a baby that was... wearing glasses? It took him a moment, but Hermann realized he recognized the logo and that it was for the first band Newton had played when all of this had started at the beginning of the week.

"The Descendants, right?" he asked, pointing to the shirt.

Newton smiled brightly. "Yeah, dude! I'm proud of you."

"I thought you'd be wearing an Au Revoir Arms shirt. Since that is the band we're going to see."

"Oh Herms, buddy, no," Newton said as he slung his arm around Hermann's shoulder. "There's still so much you have gotta learn about this world, dude. Rule number one: never wear the shirt of the band you're going to see to a show. Rule number two ties into that: never listen to the band you're going to see on the way there, though we don't have to worry about that right now since the club is within walking distance."

"This whole time I've been living here in Hong Kong and there's been a concert hall that close? Right under my nose?"

"Aaaaaannnnd rule number three: don't call it a concert hall," Newton said with a laugh. He held the door open for Hermann as they left the Shatterdome. Hermann chastised himself for thinking it was a romantic gesture. People held doors open for other people all the time. It meant nothing. "This isn't a concert, and this club is definitely not anywhere close to a hall. It's a seedy club."

"Why, you definitely know how to treat a man," Hermann muttered hoping it sounded like a joke.

Thankfully, it seemed that Newton hadn't heard him at all. He continued to walk with a bounce in his step, talking a mile a minute about all the shows that he had gone to at this club when he had the time in between cutting apart decaying slices of kaiju. Well, he managed to tell Hermann about two of them at least before he stopped abruptly in front of a door completely covered in posters. He reached out and took Hermann's hand so he didn't end up walking past him.

"This is our stop," he said excitedly.

"Oh, that _was_ very close," Hermann said. He didn't mean to sound as surprised as he did, but it was common for people to not think about what 'close' meant for him as compared to most other people.

"Of course. Why would I lie to you, Herms," Newton said. He was still holding Hermann's hand as he led him into the building. "If it was farther, I would have called for a taxi. We can't have you walking all over Hong Kong, now can we?"

"Well, I could if I wanted to," Hermann said, his ugly stubbornness just having to make an appearance that night.

He winced as soon as he said it and waited for Newton to rip into him, but instead he simply laughed and instead turned to the bouncer.

"My friend here never wants to admit when his leg is hurting him, can you believe it?" The bouncer ignored Newton as he took their tickets and ripped along the perforated edge before handing them back to him. "Like, it's not as if we're going to be standing around all night. That's going to be bad enough."

"Newton, I believe we should keep the line, uh, moving."

The bouncer, who was starting to remind Hermann of the Queen's Guard considering how still and emotionless he was, broke at that. He laughed and clapped Hermann soundly on the back.

"I like this one, Newt," he said before motioning for the people behind them to step up.

"Oh, he actually knows you?" Hermann asked as they walked down the hallway. He could hear the bouncer laughing even harder behind them.

"Oh my God, don't be so mean, Herms," Newton said in lieu of answering. They both paused for a moment and then burst out laughing themselves. "I cannot believe I just said that. Like, our entire relationship has been built on us being mean to each other."

"I think a little meanness is a good thing, once in awhile, though I must admit, it's been a nice change of pace.... this past week. We haven't had as many arguments, if you hadn't noticed."

Newton didn't respond at first. He led them up to the bar that ran along the right side of the club and waved down one of the bartenders. She was short and dressed rather conservatively, which made Hermann feel as if he fit in a little bit, but she was covered in even more tattoos than Newton.

"Hey Meihui, how's it going?" Newton asked.

"Can't complain," she said with a slight shrug. "Was thinking of making a stop at Lin's next week to get some new ink. You get anything done recently?"

"Haven't exactly had much time. Or, uh, the money." Newton laughed nervously. "Kinda blew my extra cash this week on the tickets for tonight."

"You're acting like we charge an arm and a leg to get in here," she said with a snort. "So, you want your usual?"

"Yeah, thanks Meihui. That'd be great. And I'm also getting his." He motioned to Hermann before turning around to ask him, "So, Herms, what'll it be?"

"Oh, no I don't think I should drink tonight," Hermann said as he waved Newton off.

"Oh, sorry. Is it alright for you to with your meds? I mean, I know I'm an idiot since I shouldn't with my meds, but one little drink isn't too bad."

"Well, I'll let you guys figure this out on your own," Meihui said. "I have some other customers. I'll be back with your Gweilo in a minute, and you can tell me if you need anything else then."

"Thanks," Newton said as Meihui was already walking away. "Hey, sorry if I made you feel like you had to drink, Hermann. You know you don't have to if you don't want to."

"You're acting like you're peer pressuring me into using marijuana behind the bleachers," Hermann said with a huff. "I can have one drink if I'm using my pain medication. It's not the end of the world. I just... What is it? Why are you laughing?" Hermann asked as Newton was laughing behind his hand. It couldn't have been to cover the noise because despite there not being that many people in the club yet, between everyone's conversations along with the music that was playing on the club's PA system, Hermann couldn't hear him. He only knew he was laughing thanks to the laugh lines on Newton's face that he knew all too well. He studied Newton's face more often then he should have.

"'Peer pressuring me into using marijuana? Behind the bleachers?'" Newton's British accent was still as awful as it was the first time he made fun of Hermann. "You watched too many teen movies growing up, didn't you? Try to figure out how life was in America?"

"That kind of thing happens in other high schools. Not just in America. The point is, you don't have to worry. You simply asked me if I wanted a drink. There's nothing wrong with that. What I was trying to say was... I shouldn't have a drink because I'm... Well, to be blunt, I'm a bit of a lightweight."

"That's adorable," Meihui said as she returned with a beer in hand. She set it down in front of Newton and turned to Hermann. "You want one of those? It's an IPA and has a relatively low alcohol content."

"I suppose one won't hurt. Yes, please."

"So polite. I like this one," Meihui said as she started pouring another one of the beers. She charged Newton for the drinks before heading off again.

"You seem to know everyone here," Hermann said once they were alone. Well, without someone close enough to listen in on their conversation.

"Everyone?" Newton said before he took a huge gulp from his glass. "We talked to two people. Yep, I'm Mr. Popular over here."

"The bouncer did a very good job acting as if he didn't even know who you were, and you kept talking as if it was no big deal."

"Which I do tend to do."

"That is true. But then it turns out he's very good at his job which I assume is to look intimidating."

"Well, that and ripping pieces of paper," Newton reminded him before yelling out a 'ah-ha!' He pulled one of the tickets out of his pocket and handed it to Hermann. "This is for you. Gotta keep your ticket so you can remember this wonderful night. Your first punk show."

"I doubt I'll be forgetting it any time soon, but thank you Newton." Hermann put the ticket into his own pocket and finally picked up his beer to take a tentative sip. "Wow, that's surprisingly... light."

"Not much of a beer drinker, are ya? You know you could have picked something else."

"No, it's alright. I suppose it should be a night for firsts."

Newton blushed and quickly averted his gaze so he could chug nearly half of his beer. "Yeah, yeah. Of course, man. I appreciate you being adventurous. I, uh, like this side of you."

It was Hermann's turn to blush. He knew it was an unwise decison to chug his beer to give him time to gather his thoughts, but he did take a couple sips in a row. He didn't want to look too much into things, but it felt like Newton was nervous in that 'first date' sort of way. Sure, it had been quite some time since Hermann had been on a first date, but that was definitely the way it felt. He had been building up to asking the one question that had been on his mind since the bouncer had said 'I like this one' and his curiosity only got worse once Meihui said the exact same thing. He knew he had to ask before any of the bands started playing or he'd never gather up the courage again, so after about five sips he took a deep breath and took the leap.

"So, what did Meihui and, uh, the bouncer..."

"Jian," Newton provided.

"Oh, thank you. Uh, what did they mean when they said they 'liked this one?'"

"Oh, well..." Newton chugged more of his beer and tried to drink more only to find he had already finished it all. When he spoke again, his voice had gone up several octaves. "I may bring guys here on dates? Sometimes? Meihui," he called as he motioned for her. "Can I get another one, please? Uh, so they may have assumed you were my date. Look, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll tell them both you're my friend. I mean, my colleague!"

"Newton, that's alright. And you don't have to say colleague. We are friends. Wait." Hermann froze. "The ticket you gave to me? That wasn't for someone else, was it? Did I steal it from someone else?"

"Oh my God, no Herms. You didn't 'steal' the ticket from anyone else. I told you, I just happened to have an extra ticket and instead of asking some random guy, I asked my colleague... I mean, my friend to come to this show with me because I've kinda always wanted to take him and, well, it just turns out that he's looking for some way to help turn off his brain and this is a perfect way to."

"You buy a second ticket to every show you go to and then... just ask a random guy?" Hermann asked.

Meihui came back with Newton's second drink and snorted out a laugh.

"Well, that would explain why you have some questionable dates, then, Newt."

"Thanks for that Meihui," Newton muttered. Hermann was close enough to hear it, but Meihui was already on her way to wait on another customer, and thankfully didn't hear Newton's sarcastic remark.

"I'm sorry," Hermann said quickly. "I didn't mean any offense."

"That would be a first," Newton joked. He slung his arm around Hermann's shoulder. "Kidding, kidding."

"I mean, considering everything, the fact alone that you're able to go to events that you love and find new people to share it with at the same is an accomplishment. I think it's admirable."

"I have no idea how you continue to make all the sleazy things I do sound infinitely better," Newton said with a chuckle. "But thanks again, Herms. It means a lot to hear you say that you're not going to judge me for all of this."

"Of course not. I mean, the reason we're here is trying to find a way for me to relax. I wouldn't judge you for the way you turn off and relax." Newton gave him a pointed look. "Alright. I have judged you in the past, and well, perhaps I still might judge you on occasion because some of your music is definitely questionable. But it'll only be judging the choice of music and not how important music clearly is to you. And while I definitely still believe that it's deplorable when you're playing it when we're supposed to be working, not to mention the volumes it's being played at, I want you to know that I don't think less of you for everything."

"Man, I wanna give you a hug so bad right now, but I know how you are about affection."

Hermann laughed nervously and took a few more sips of his beer.

"The sentiment is appreciated."

"You're still using so many big words. You need to finish that beer and let loose. That is the whole point of tonight. Come on," Newton said as he clapped Hermann on the back, completely unaware of the irony in doing so after openly admitting he knew that Hermann wasn't exactly a 'touchy-feely' person. "Let's move closer to the stage. The first band is almost finished setting up."

Looking up, Hermann noticed that Newton was right. He hadn't even noticed that they had started. The club was almost full by then, so it took them quite some time to manage their way up to the stage. Almost every other person stopped them to say hello to Newton. Hermann was excited to see Newton completely in his element. It had always been jarring to see the man wearing combat boots that looked too big for him walking around the Shatterdome as if he wasn't blatantly breaking the dress code. Hermann understood that a huge part of the punk and metal communities was the fact that they stood out. That was a huge selling point for many fans. Yet, here, at the club Newton wasn't standing out. Hermann was the one who was different from everyone else, with his neatly pressed shirt underneath his fluffy sweater. Actually, the one thing Hermann had been sure would make him feel like an outsider, his cane that he griped tightly in his hand, was making him feel like he belonged. At least a little bit. To their left was a man dressed all in leather with a metal cane, skull handle and all, in hand. Seated next to the stage was a woman in a wheelchair with her partner smiling down at her. Not everyone was dressed in exactly the same manner, but they were all dressed in non-conventional fashion, and Newton was getting compliments on his shirt or his studded bracelets from some of the acquaintances who stopped him to say hello. He never backed down when anyone at the Shatterdome told him that he should tone down the way he dressed, but he never looked as happy as he did in this moment where he was immersed in the community. Hermann realized he understood it now more then he ever could have if he had never come to the show. He never could have understood how uplifting the comradary could be, and he had only been at the club for no more than an hour. Newton introduced him to every person that stopped him, and none of them gave Hermann a disgusted once over like he had expected. In fact, he got many disgusted once overs more often in his line of work or out on the street, but not one since he had walked into the club. The people who looked scary and tough smiled brightly, shook his hand, and told him how great it was to meet him. One even told him, shouting over the band that had started to do their sound check, 'any friend of Newton's is a friend of mine.'

"Everyone is so kind," Hermann shouted over the music. The band had launched into a song, although it didn't seem to have any real rhyme or reason. The other patrons were not paying much attention, so Hermann figured it must still be part of the warm up. "Not... not that I thought they'd all be rude or anything."

"Hey, it's cool. Most people do assume the people dressed all in black will be gloomy and the people dressed all in spikes and chains will be, well, spiky. It's a common misconception. I mean, even I thought that when I first started getting into punk music and I was so scared. I thought I'd never be able to go to a show. Least of all by myself. But now I do all the time. I mean, if I can't find someone to come with me or if it turns out no one I know is already going to the show themselves."

"I couldn't imagine going anywhere by myself," Hermann mused. "I suppose that's why I haven't gotten out in, well, at least since we've relocated to Hong Kong."

"Well, my friend, you are always welcome to join me and come to a show if you'd like. Or, well," Newton said, quickly backtracking, "if you end up not enjoying yourself, we could always continue on our quest to find you a good way to quiet your mind once in awhile. I'm sure there's lots of fun things we can do around the city."

"I wasn't expecting all of that when I asked for your advice. If it does turn out that I don't enjoy tonight, I'm not expecting you to run all around Hong Kong just to help."

"Don't worry, Herms. It'd be my pleasure."

Hermann wasn't sure how to respond to that at first, but in the end it didn't matter. The first band finally finished up their tuning, the lead singer leaned into the microphone stand, and said 'Thanks for having us Hong Kong. We're Observing Farewell.' The audience barely had time to applaud before the band launched into their first song. The music was... well, loud would definitely be the way to explain it. He couldn't understand what the singer was saying over the sound of the guitar. He supposed it didn't help that he and Newton had ended up standing right in front where the guitarist was standing on the stage. She was short and tiny, and so was her guitar, so Hermann was surprised the amount of noise the instrument could make. He couldn't say if he'd listen to the song on his own time, if given the chance, but he had to admit that in the moment he had a hard time thinking about anything else other than the music. Thinking about being there, in the moment. The audience was all dancing, whether the 'mosh pit,' as Newton had told him it was called, that had opened up behind them or people like him and Newton who were simply swaying to the beat. It was a little awkward for Hermann. Every time he found himself moving along with the crowd, his cane would come up from the ground, and it was a uphill battle trying to keep his balance. He found himself leaning on Newton every once in awhile, though not for long. He didn't want to cause any alarm. If Newton thought that his leg was acting up, he would make them leave before Au Revoir Arms even performed. He had always been like that. They could be in the middle of their biggest argument of the year, and if Hermann showed any sign of pain or fatigue, Newton would back down and ask if Hermann needed him to get anything. He turned into a mother hen and, while Hermann found it endearing, it did still get on his nerves most of the time. He could take care of himself. Sure, it was nice to know there was someone there willing to help out, but when Newton let it get in the way of their daily lives, it made Hermann feel guilty. By the third song, Newton was giving Hermann little side glances every once in awhile, and Hermann knew he hadn't been as subtle as he would have liked. Instead of pulling Hermann out of the crowd, however, he tugged him into his side.

"If you need to, you can lean on me," he shouted so Hermann could hear.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," Hermann shouted back.

"You keep telling me I don't have to do things, but if I want to, why can't I?"

Hermann had been trying to ignore any possible signs that Newton might feel the same way. He'd been ignoring them for years now, but this night it was overwhelming. It almost felt as if they were already together. Hermann knew if an outsider had overheard parts of their conversation, they would assume that they were. Meihui and Jian had at least assumed that they were at least on a date.

_Was_ it a date?

It almost felt like a date.

If it had been anyone else who asked him to accompany them to the show, had offered to pay for his drink, and then offered to let him lean on them, Hermann would have had no problem admitting it was a date. The fact that Newton brought several other guys to the same place for dates should have set off an alarm, but in the back of Hermann's mind, all he could think of was 'but it's Newton.' Just because he had brought other dates, it didn't mean it was a date. Hermann never liked getting his hopes up. Sure, when it came to his love life, but in every aspect as well. It might be said that he was overly cautious, and some might say that it was holding him back. It might not seem that way considering he had written the code that made Jaeger technology possible and continued to work toward saving the world. He was starting to see it that way, however. If he didn't make a move, then nothing was ever going to happen.

So Hermann leaned onto Newton's shoulder and smiled when he started to blush.

"Well, then, thank you Newton. My leg might not be bothering me much, but this will help it from getting worse later on, and I would definitely hate to miss Au Revoir Arms."

"I, uh, only caught about half of that," Newton admitted. "Let's wait until after Observing Farewell finish and, uh, then we can talk?"

"That sounds good," Hermann said. He rested his cheek on the top of Newton's head and turned his attention back to the band performing. With him leaning on Newton, they weren't able to sway much with the music like they had been before, but Hermann could feel Newton tapping his foot along with the drum's beat. Observing Farewell's set was short, though Hermann supposed he didn't have much of a reference for how long punk bands normally played. They weren't going to play as long as an orchestra would, he supposed. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or terrified that it had passed so quickly and now he and Newton were going to talk.

No. Right. He wasn't going to be overly cautious anymore. He could do this.

Hermann stood up straight, shifting his weight from Newton's shoulder back to his cane. He watched as several of the patrons filed outside as Observing Farewell started to pack up their instruments. Several others headed straight for the bar, and Hermann saw Meihui running around pouring drinks faster then he could keep track. Newton, however, stayed still in front of the stage, bouncing slightly from foot to foot, purposefully not looking up at Hermann. People had gone back to having conversations and music was being played over the club's PA system once more, but without the band playing live music, it suddenly sounded almost deafeningly silent. It made Hermann nervous. Well, he was already nervous, but he could do this.

"Newton..." he started just as Newton said, "So, Herms..."

They both laughed softly and Hermann motioned with his hand. "No, please. You go first."

"So, uh, I have a confession to make," Newton said as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. At least Hermann wasn't the only one feeling nervous. "I didn't just happen to have an 'extra' ticket lying around. Wait! Don't make that face." Hermann frowned slightly. He hadn't been making 'a face.' Or he thought he hadn't, but perhaps, yes. His face had started twisting up as he thought about how Newton had probably been planning to take someone else, someone he would much rather be with, to the show. "I wasn't about to take another guy. Actually, all the other times I've come here with other guys were kinda just... I don't know how to say it. Like, I didn't mean to bring them. I guess I just didn't want the ticket to go to waste every time I chickened out of asking you to come with me, so I'd find someone to go with. It's not entirely my fault they all kind of misinterpreted it as a date. Though it is my fault I never corrected any of them. And I may have indulged in some making out a couple of those times, but come on, man. I am only human. But yeah, I'm totally getting off track here. So the point of all that was, every time I decide I have the time to go to a show and I buy my ticket, I always buy one for you too. Because I was hoping someday I'd have the courage to ask you to come with me. Which, I'd say, hey! We finally made it. But, uh, I don't think I can actually count it since I wouldn't have asked you unless I was using the excuse of helping you with finding a way to relax. Which, that wasn't a lie! I do think this will help. And I'm getting off track again. God, Herms, please say something and shut me up."

"Why would you ask that? Aren't you happy I let you talk so long without interrupting you?" Hermann joked. "That's unheard of."

"That is true," Newton said with a laugh.

"I also am sort of still taking it all in. Why wouldn't you just ask me to come with you? The worst that would happen is I'd say no, which I definitely think if you asked a year ago, I would have said no, but I'd like to think I've been more open minded since then. You normally don't have trouble saying what you want. So why not just ask?"

"Herms... Hermann..." Newton said, looking angry. "I thought it was painfully obvious at this point and you were trying to be nice and not saying anything. Now you're just being obtuse, aren't you?"

"Obtuse?"

"Yeah, I think you'd know what that means. You're always using such big words."

"Newton, I thought we were having a good time. Let's not argue now. Just tell me what's wrong."

"I'm in love with you, Hermann," Newton shouted as he threw his arms up in exasperation. Hermann could only stare at him in shock. A couple of the patrons who were seated at the bar started at Newton in shock as well. Meihui, on the other hand, looked at them with a fond smile before politely turning away. "God, I don't know why, but I'm in love with you. Have been for a long time. And I thought that maybe, I don't know, if I could take you here... Show you something I love, it could... help you see me as someone other than your irritating lab partner."

"Newton, I don't see you as my irritating lab partner. Quite the opposite in fact."

Newton scoffed.

"Huh. Well... you could have fooled me."

"What I'm trying to say is, you never needed an elaborate scheme to win me over."

"It wasn't an elaborate scheme," Newton protested.

"I've loved you for a long time as well," Hermann continued. "And trust me, I'm not sure why, either. You're more than irritating at times. You're infuriating."

"Wow, you sure know how to sweet talk a guy," Newton deadpanned, but Hermann could see the excitement in his eyes.

"But that only adds to your charm. I found myself falling for you, truly falling for you this time, as I started to get to know you in person."

"Wait, Herms, are you saying that you... since the letters?"

"I thought so, but I told myself that it couldn't be. I believe I did so because I didn't want myself to get hurt. How could I love someone I'd never met? And likely never would? I thought I was setting myself up for heartbreak, so I convinced myself to let it go. But then you wanted to meet, and I was ecstatic. Yet, when we first met, and it.... didn't go well..." Newt looked down as he toed at the ground with the tip of his boot. He looked guilty, and Hermann wanted to assure him they were both at fault for that, but his explanation was already going to go on longer then he'd like. That had been years ago, and honestly, they needed to get past it. "So thinking I'd been right, and that I had been lying to myself about my feelings, I allowed myself to dislike you. It never worked out, though. Along with dislike there was still admiration for your work. For your intelligence. Don't." Newton's head shot up and he held up his hands as if to say 'I wasn't doing anything.' "I know you're about to let that comment go straight to your head. Your ego doesn't need any help. That's why I never said anything. I admired you so much that those feelings started to bleed into an... admiration of another kind."

"So, you're saying you think I'm hot?" Newton asked with a grin.

Hermann normally would have scolded Newton for interrupting him, but he found he was thankful. He wasn't one for speeches, and Newton's quip seemed to have lightened the mood between them, which Hermann realized was desperately needed. They had already admitted the had feelings for each other. There was no need to have this discussion. Well, they would have to eventually, but the night was supposed to be about fun. They could apologize to each other for every argument and every low blow when they got back to the Shatterdome. But this moment? In the club? Under the lights that were dimming as Au Revoir Arms took the stage? Hermann just wanted to be with the man he loved doing one of the things he loved most in the world. Hermann leaned onto Newton's shoulder once more, effectively hiding his smile in Newton's shirt.

"We have maybe, like, five minutes before this band starts playing," Newton pointed out, "and you still haven't answered my question. You think I'm hot?"

"Of course that's what you'd be focusing on," Hermann muttered. He sighed, though, and nodded. "I do. Are you happy, now?"

"Super happy," Newton said. He was bouncing around a bit, accidentally dislodging Hermann. "You should know I find you hot, too. You're like... like a sexy grandpa."

"I am going to pretend you didn't say that," Hermann said, but it was drowned out by Au Revoir Arms starting their sound check.

They were much quicker at tuning all their instruments and checking all the microphones then Observing Farewell, and before Hermann knew it, they were launching into their first song. Although, it was less of a launch, and more like a very quiet take off. Sure, the volume of their music was loud, but that was simply because hearing two guitars, a bass, and a drum set live was always going to be loud. Au Revoir Arms, however, didn't seem to fit Newton's definition of loud. Their music was definitely alternative, of course, but they weren't exactly punk. Not the kind of punk Hermann would have expected from Newton. Sure, he did have a pretty eclectic taste in music, but Hermann hadn't expected him to spend what little extra money he had on hand to see such a laid back band. The band sounded more like the kind of music Newton would listen to in order to relax. (As much as he ever relaxed. Hermann was positive he never saw that man relax once in the years he had known him.) Hermann felt that Newton would want to go to shows to let off steam, and the best way to do that would be screaming along, jumping around, and working up a sweat. With Au Revoir Arms, Newton was swaying along, like they had to Observing Farewell, except now it felt appropriate. There were a few other patrons who were trying to get a mosh pit going despite the fact that the band wasn't exactly 'loud,' but they were failing for the most part. Hermann laughed softly after watching them for a moment before turning back to Newton. He took a deep breath and quickly reached out so he could take Newton's hand in his. Newton sputtered and ended up turning as red as a tomato but eventually squeezed Hermann's hand in return before going back to watching the band. Hermann almost felt like a teenager again. Wait, correction. He felt like the teenager he never truly got to be. He never got to have the experience of holding a boyfriend's hand in public. His father, having eyes all over the city, made sure of that. Not that Hermann even ever had a boyfriend growing up. He was lucky enough that the restrained rugby players knew if they wanted to discreetly experiment with a boy, that Hermann Gottlieb was the 'poof' to go to. At least he had done better as an adult, but he couldn't recall the last time he was with someone and felt so content holding their hand on such a unique date.

(Because it _was_! It _was_ a date after all.)

Hermann never ended up dating someone for very long. They would go on two or three dates at most. Usually to restaurants that were nice, but not too nice. Two or three dates never gave them enough time to try and have a unique date. They'd still only just be getting to know each other and didn't want to step out of the comfort zone of dinner or a movie which no one could argue against. And while hand holding could happen at a movie, it never did. The men Hermann had dated had no problem jumping into his bed at least once before they said something along the lines of not wanting to compete with his work despite trying to assure him it wasn't him, it was them. Hermann would have been mad, but once Newton was in the picture, he had to admit he wasn't looking for any meaningful connections. Sure, he wanted to like the men he dated, but a few free drinks or a few free entrees were what he had been looking for. Some steamy nights were what he had been looking for. At the time, that was. He knew eventually he wanted to be able to do all those things he missed out on with someone special. There had been a few of those men who had decided to stick around for a little longer, and those relationships had been nice while they lasted. Hermann wasn't implying that they hadn't meant something and that they hadn't been important to him, but both they and Hermann had know that it was a short term thing.

So he was going to hold Newton's hand the rest of the night if he let him. He was going to make sure Newton never stopped buying that extra ticket to all the shows he wanted to go see. Sure, Hermann might not always enjoy that bands like he found himself enjoying Au Revoir Arms, but he wanted to do things that made Newton happy. He knew that Newton would do the same for him. For instance, perhaps for their next date, Hermann could take Newton to the Mathematics and Sciences museum he'd been itching to go to for months. He was probably getting ahead of himself, however. He had to put the brakes on his stupid, over-active imagination. Honestly. The entire purpose of them being at the show was to help him shut off his mind. Newton would probably give him an earful if he found out that Hermann wasn't giving Au Revoir Arms his full attention. He turned back toward the stage, but not before raising he and Newton's joined hands and softly kissing his knuckles. Newton was blushing even more, and Hermann found it so adorable that he wanted to pull Newton straight out of the concert hall so he could kiss him. Not just on the back of his hand, but all over. He would have done it there, in front of the band and Meihui and Jian, but Newton had been right. He had never been comfortable with public displays of affection. Hand holding was more than enough to make him happy. The other patrons knew that Newton was there with him. Some might have even assumed that before they had started holding hands, if Meihui and Jian thought they'd been together, it only made sense. And, wow, Hermann never thought he would be the possessive type and yet here he was. He wanted everyone to know that this brilliant, if annoying, man was his.

"Newton," he shouted over the music. "How long do you think they'll play for?"

"Oh, uh, well, it's a two band show and they're pretty popular so probably for about an hour and a half. Why?"

"Not that I'm not enjoying the show. I truly am, but the sooner we could get back to the Shatterdome, the better."

"The sooner? The... oh." Newton grinned up at Hermann knowingly and started tugging on his hand. "Yeah, we can go right now if you want. Not that I'm not enjoying the show either, but I've seen Au Revoir Arms once before. I don't mind ducking out early."

Hermann's arm started to hurt from Newton leading him off the main floor. He stopped for a moment before doubling back toward the bar. Meihui was busy mixing a drink in a shaker so Newton yelled a quick 'bye' to her. She took one look at them and started laughing, almost dropping the shaker in the process. They also ended up stopping for a minute at the door so Newton could say goodbye to Jian as well, whose reaction was about the same.

Hermann couldn't find it in himself to care that Newton's friends thought they knew exactly what the two of them were about to get up to. They might not even be wrong. Sure, Hermann would be happy if they simply kissed once they got back to his room, but he would not object if things were to... go further. They had waited long enough to finally crash together. No one would consider that they were rushing their relationship. If anything, they'd say that they sure took their sweet time. That's definitely how Hermann felt, now that he knew that they had both been so completely oblivious the entire time. It would be a lie if Hermann said he hadn't thought about it. On a regular basis, even. Quite a lot, since he was being honest. He had managed to keep his feelings in check as much as he could, but he hadn't been strong enough to consistently keep those thoughts out of his mind. It wasn't his fault that Newton was too cute for his own good. The way he danced around the lab while listening to his loud music. It wasn't his fault he looked so good in those tight jeans of his. It wasn't... well, it was his fault that it had been awhile, so he was left alone with comfortable, familiar Newton based fantasies. Which weren't going to be only fantasies for much longer. Even if they didn't go farther that night, they would soon enough. Though Hermann couldn't dwell on that. He really wanted to stop living so much in his head. He wanted to live in the moment, and Newton was already showing him how easy it could be.

And he just knew that once they made it back to his room in the Shatterdome, which they were steadily approaching, the moment Hermann would finally be able to kiss Newton like he had wanted for so long, that he would live in that moment forever.

"Hey," Newton said as they waved their badges to the security guard. "Where'd you go just now? You were pretty quiet."

"I should be the one saying that," Hermann joked. "I can be quiet if I want to. You, on the other hand."

Newton jokingly hit Hermann's arm as he laughed.

"I mean, I guess I did deserve that, but you should be nice to me right now. I let you drag me from the show so you could have your wicked way with me."

Hermann blushed. He ducked his head down, hoping that Newton wouldn't notice. He wasn't sure why he was embarrassed because Newton was at least partially right. They both knew at least one thing that was going to happen once they got into his room.

"I think if you asked any one of the people at that concert hall, they'd agree it was you who did the dragging. Not that I minded. Well, minded much. You practically ripped my arm out of the socket."

"Oh, dude, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Now that we're together, could you please refrain from calling me 'dude?'" Hermann asked as he ran his hand down his face.

"Dude, I call everyone dude. But if insist. What would you rather I call you? Babe? Sweetheart? Honey?"

Hermann shuddered as he pulled out his keys to open the door to his room.

"I'm not very fond of pet names, if I'm being perfectly honest," he said.

Newton scoffed as he slammed the door behind them and pushed Hermann up against the opposite wall.

"Yeah, I should have seen that coming. I can just see you, with your little snooty tone you get when you just know you're better than someone else, yelling at your old boyfriends, 'How dare you call me baby. I am not an infant.'"'

Hermann couldn't take two of Newton's terrible impersinations in one night.

"I do not sound like that," Hermann said, laughing. Newton joined right in with him. "I have a feeling you are very fond of pet names, so I might be willing to put up with it for you."

"Put up with it?" Newton asked with a scoff paired with a quick roll of his eyes. He guided Hermann to the bed and pushed his shoulders so that he would sit down. "That's so romantic of you, Hermann. I'm sorry. That's so romantic of you, babe."

A shudder went through Hermann. He hoped that Newton hadn't noticed, but considering he was in the process of getting comfortable on Hermann's lap, being mindful of his leg, so he was clearly paying attention to Hermann's reaction to notice. He grinned down at Hermann as he ran a hand up his back.

"Oh, so you do like it, huh, babe? And to think the night has only begun. I've got all this time to find out all the other things you like."

"You think you're going to have enough time to find everything out? You're very confident in yourself."

Newton's hand, which had continued slowly rubbing Hermann's back, in more of a comforting rather than sexy gesture, froze. He gaped at Hermann and stuttered a bit before he managed to get out, "You got a lot of stuff you're into?"

Now that he had the upper hand, Hermann took the opportunity to grab Newton's ass and pull him closer. He leaned in slowly, giving Newton time to pull back if he wished to do so, but Newton simply smiled at him and closed the distance between them himself. Despite all the earlier bravado, the kiss was chaste at first. Sweet. Newton brought his arms up and rested his hands on Hermann's shoulders. Hermann, on the other hand, kept his right where they were and started kneading Newton's ass. He appreciated how Newton was trying to convey his feelings through the kiss, they had already established that yes, they were madly in love and that yes, they had been incredibly stupid about it and that yes, that meant they had wasted a ridiculous amount of time that they could have been together, but now they had all the time in the world to make up for it. At least, they were fighting to make all the time in the world. It could be hard at times to be optimistic about the future whenever there was another kaiju attack, but for Hermann that meant all the more reason to, perhaps, move things along.

Plus, he couldn't help himself.

Newton had a cute ass.

Newton started laughing into the kiss as Hermann became particularly handsy, which only gave him the chance to lick into Newton's mouth. Newton gave back as good as he got, squirming in Hermann's lap as the kiss continued to grow more heated. Hermann could feel Newton starting to get hard every time he brushed up against Hermann's stomach. Hermann knew he wasn't any better and was pushing his half hard cock up against Newton's ass. That delectable ass in those tight jeans. Hermann wondered how he was ever going to be able to get them off of Newton. Well, first things first, he had to get Newton's shirt off before he could move on to the pants. He reluctantly let go and started pushing Newton's Descendants shirt up so that it was bunched up underneath his armpits. Neither of them seemed willing to break the kiss so Hermann could finish pulling it off. Hermann decided he could wait a moment more because he now had access to much more of Newton's skin and he started mapping out every inch he could. When his hands made there way over one of Newton's nipples, Newton gasped into the kiss. Hermann finally pulled back at that and watched Newton's face as ran his hand over it once more but putting more pressure. Newton moaned quietly as his head fell back.

"Sensitive?" Hermann asked, although the answer was obvious.

"Don't be an obtuse little shit," Newton muttered.

"Is 'little shit' another one of your pet names?" Hermann asked as he started pinching the other nipple. Newton moaned again but louder this time.

"I will call you anything you want me to call you if you just... keep doing that."

"Well, you can stick with babe for now. I think that's more than enough," Hermann said and then he leaned in to lightly nibble on the other nipple as he continued pinching the other. It sounded like Newton said something about 'aw, you really _are_ fond of pet names after all' but it was hard for Hermann to make out exactly what he said with all the other noise he was making. After about a minute or two, Hermann switched his hand and mouth and started teasing Newton all over again. Newton managed to fumble his hands between their two bodies to pop open the button of his jeans.

"I don't think I can take too much more of this, babe," he said as he panted.

"But doesn't it feel good?" Hermann asked, but he stopped long enough to finally finish taking off Newton's shirt. He started unbuttoning his own only for Newton to bat away his hands and finish it for him.

"Of course you're making me feel good," he said as he pushed the shirt off and left a few kisses along Hermann's collar bone. "But I know you'll make me feel even better in a moment with whatever comes next. And then you'll make me feel even better than that. And then..."

Hermann laughed softly.

"Yes, alright, I get the picture."

"Plus, I don't think it's entirely fair that I seem to be the only one having fun."

"I wouldn't say that. I am definitely enjoying myself."

Newton smiled at him as he stood up on slightly wobbly legs.

"Good," he said. He thumbed the open front of his jeans self consciously for a moment before finally unzipping them. He started to sway his hips as he pushed the jeans down. Hermann could tell he was trying to give him a show, but obviously it was hard to get them off. That didn't stop Hermann from thinking it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. He sat back and watched as Newton finished working the jeans down his legs before realizing he still had his boots on. They both laughed as Newton took a minute to unlace them and kick them off. They went flying across Hermann's room and he heard them thud against the wall. He was turned on and yet he couldn't help but stop for a moment to hope that they didn't leave a scuff mark. When Newton straightened up, he smirked at Hermann, and then swiftly pushed his briefs off. Hermann stared at him unabashedly for a moment, admiring his body, before he motioned for Newton to join him on the bed.

"Hhmm, what 'bout you?" Newton asked as he crawled back into Hermann's lap.

"Well, I thought you could finish the job for me," Hermann replied as he planted his hands right back on Newton's ass. He knew exactly what he wanted to do once he was rid of his own clothes. "You know, since you seemed determined to not let me lift a finger before."

"Of course you're even bossy in bed," Newton said, although he sounded extremely pleased about the idea.

He pushed Hermann back so that he'd lie on the bed. He made quick work of Hermann's own pants and underwear before kissing Hermann's hip. Herman threaded his fingers through Newton's hair and cradled his head as he left a few more kisses in a row before he bit down lightly.

"Careful now," Hermann warned.

"I'm sorry," Newton said, looking up. "Did that hurt?"

"No. Not at all. I'm just not a fan of 'love bites' if you will."

Newton crossed his arms, which honestly looked ridiculous when he was naked, and gave Hermann an incredulous look.

"It seems to me the man doth protest too much. First it was, 'oh, I don't like pet names,' but I proved that one wrong, babe." Hermann's traitorous cock twitched. "Now I think I'm about to prove you wrong about love bites. I mean, you thought it was going to take me more than a night to find out everything you're into, but you keep telling me you're not even into the simplest things. Everyone is into love bites. It's like the first thing anyone ever 'gets into.'"

"Excuse me? Are you trying to imply that I'm... 'vanilla?'" Hermann asked.

He didn't give Newton a chance to answer. He flipped them, Newton's back hitting the mattress, causing him to bounce a little before he settled, and then Hermann knelt above him. He gave Newton a couple quick kisses before shuffling down the bed, hooking his arms underneath Newton's thighs, and giving his ass cheek a cheeky nip.

"I've been wanting to do this since I first saw you in those damn skinny jeans. Well, I doubt they were these ones in particular, but those ones..."

"That I wore when we first met?" Newton asked. He sounded breathless. He was watching Hermann like a hawk, his eyes completely blown, like he knew exactly where this was going. Hermann nodded before ducking his head once more and kissing the spot where he had bit Newton. "God, I'm pretty sure I was wearing fucking Pac Sun jeans when we met. They were pretty skinny, but not as tight as most pairs. Which was actually a plus, in my opinion. And they always had good deals on their jeans. I miss that dumb store. Do you think there's one in Hong Kong?" Hermann was not going to justify that with an answer. He simply parted Newton's cheeks and kissed his hole. Newton sucked in a sharp breath. "Alright, babe, your point has been duly noted. I mean, your points have both been duly noted. I'll shut up and you're not vanilla."

"I really doubt you're going to shut up, but that's alright," Hermann said.

And then, with no more dignified way to put it, he planted his face in Newton's ass. At first he started leaving more butterfly kisses on his hole and the surrounding area, but given how the heel of Newton's foot was digging into Hermann's back as if urging him to figuratively move forward, as the digging moved him literally forward, Hermann quickly escalated to licking his hole. He knew he had to get Newton nice and wet before he could attempt moving along to what Newton was craving, even if it had been awhile since Hermann had done this act in particular. While hook ups were enjoyable and Hermann never regretted any of the casual sex he had participated in, it was just that. Casual. And he had always found that eating out a partner was an intimate act. Every once in awhile someone would suggest it, but it wasn't entirely common and easy enough to claim that he wasn't interested or that he didn't like performing or receiving oral sex in that manner. His partners, knowing that it was a one time thing, were accommodating and had no trouble moving onto other pleasurable activities. The truth, however, was Hermann actually loved to go down on a partner. Newton, he was sure, would have called him an 'ass man.' He probably would, later, once they were finished, but Hermann couldn't find it in himself to care. It was true, after all, that he greatly admired Newton's ass. So much so that he may have taken his time licking and sucking Newton's hole long after he knew Newton was ready. The noises he was making only seemed to encourage Hermann more. If Newton sounded so wrecked from this alone, he couldn't imagine what he was going to sound like once he breached his hole with his tongue. With his cock. Herman groaned as his imagination ran away from him.

"Hermann, God, come on," Newton whined, punctuated with a little kick to Hermann's back.

Looking up, Hermann took in how disheveled Newton looked. His hair was even more mussed than usual and his glasses were completely askew. His lips were now a brilliant red from where he must had been biting down on them, although Hermann had no idea when he'd done that, considering how loud he had been the entire time. His chest was also flushed a nice red, especially the skin around his nipples from when Hermann had played mercifully with them, even if it was hard to tell underneath his assortment of kaiju tattoos.

"I would tell you to be patient," Hermann said as he ran his hand gently up Newton's side. "I know that'd be fruitless. Have you ever been patient in your life?"

"I waited for you," Newton said breathlessly.

It was the sweetest and most romantic thing anyone had ever said to him, but Hermann found himself laughing. Luckily, Newton joined in with him.

"God, I'm sorry, that was so fucking cheesy," he managed to get out in between laughs.

"It was, but thank you, Newton."

"You literally just had your tongue in my ass," Newton pointed out. "Or, well, you were about to. Hopefully. You're welcome, by the way. But, uh, so, can you just call me Newt? For once?"

"Perhaps," Hermann said coyly.

With that, he ducked back down, and finally... _finally_ worked his tongue into Newton's hole. Newton moaned low in his throat as his head fell back onto the pillow with a muffled thump. It took some time for Newton to relax enough for Hermann to move. He supposed that was his own fault for diving right in without warning. After a moment, though, Hermann was able to start fucking Newton with his tongue in earnest. The sad thing was, as much as Hermann loved everything about rimming Newton, he couldn't keep it going as long as he'd like to. The few times he had done it in the past, he found that his jaw started to hurt after several minutes, which he was severely disappointed in. At least he never seemed to have any trouble with pain when it came to sucking his partners cock, but it was a small consolation since he definitely enjoyed rimming much more. He tried not to dwell on it during the moment, but he was starting to feel that tell tale twinge in his jaw, so he slowly pulled his tongue out. Newton moaned, well moaned even more, at the loss. Hermann kissed the inside of his thigh in apology before he sat up.

"Why'd you stop?" Newton asked.

Hermann knew how worried Newton would get if he said he was in pain, even as small as the twinge in his jaw, considering how cautious he was about Hermann's leg. Hermann didn't want that since it was nothing to worry about in the least.

"We still have so much more we can do," he said, instead. "As long as you're interested."

"Duh," Newton said. Hermann had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "Like, I have dreamt about that dick an unhealthy amount. I need it in me, like, yesterday."

"Eloquent, as always, Newton," Hermann said as he reached over to his bed side table. He pulled open the top drawer and fetched the lube residing in there.

"You honestly can't expect me to be eloquent after what you just did."

"That's comforting. Are you implying that after a good fuck, you might actually shut up?"

Newton made a choking noise as he fumbled at Hermann's shoulders. He attempted to pull him down, and Hermann eventually took pity on him, and leaned down so that their noses were touching.

"Yes, Newton?"

"You can't just say shit, like that," Newton said and then messily kissed him. "Seriously, that was too sexy," was muttered between kisses that were more them breathing into each other's mouths than anything else. "You can't just say that and not fuck me."

"I was going to," Hermann retorted, but Newton seemed hesitant to let him go.

Hermann reached out to retrieve the bottle lube from where it had tumbled onto the bed as Newton continued to leave sloppy kisses across his face. It was difficult to open the bottle with one hand, since he needed the other to keep himself propped up, but Hermann managed somehow. Trying to squeeze some out onto his hand was another story, and he realized he was going to have to insist Newton give him a moment to find his bearings. Newton must have noticed him struggling, though, and with one last kiss to Hermann's eyebrow he took the bottle from Hermann and squeezed a ridiculously large amount of lube into Hermann's hand. Hermann decided it wasn't worth getting into it over that. He simply rubbed the lube between his fingers to warm it up a bit before he reached down and easily slipped a finger into Newton's hole. Newton gasped softly, a harsh contrast to the noises he had been making since they had fallen into bed.

"Hey, you can totally start with two fingers," he said. "I may have complained about you stopping before, but you definitely tongue fucked me loose, babe."

"Still so impatient," Hermann muttered, but he eased a second finger in along the first.

Newton gasped again, but he did seem to be comfortable. More than, in fact. He pushed back, taking Hermann's fingers in deeper, and Hermann had no qualms then scissoring his fingers in quick succession. In no time, he was able to slip in a third finger. He was fingering Newton hard, by then, because if he slowed down even for a moment, Newton would just start fucking himself back on Hermann's hand faster. His cock was smearing pre-cum between them, and Hermann was concerned that Newton was going to orgasm before he was able to truly fuck him. He knew that was selfish on his part, though Newton had expressed an intense interest in having Hermann's cock in him. Decision made, Hermann pulled his fingers from Newton's hole and wiped his hand on his sheets. He knew they wouldn't be staying clean for much longer, so there was no point in lying to himself. He still wanted to very much chide Newton for wasting so much lube, but he was honestly at his breaking point and had no intention of ruining the mood. He reached once more into the bed side table drawer, which was still hanging open, and found a condom. He carefully put it on and, using a respectable amount of lube, slicked himself up. He positioned himself in front of Newton's hole, but he paused for a moment. He plucked Newton's glasses from his face and set them safely aside before pushing some stray hairs back from Newton's face with his clean hand.

"Are you ready, Newt?"

Newton smiled softly before nodding.

Hermann pushed in slowly. Newton took him as easily as he had with the first finger that Hermann bottomed out without having to give him time to adjust, causing Hermann to gasp.

"Oh my God, Newt, I don't want to be a cliche."

"No, be a cliche," Newton said with a chuckle.

"It's as if you were made for my cock," Hermann whispered.

"Hhhmm, yeah, babe. Just for you," Newton said before giving Hermann a quick kiss. "Come on. Make me remember I'm yours."

Hermann groaned at that. He pulled out so only the head of his cock was still inside Newton before driving back in hard. Newton cried out, so Hermann leaned down enough so he could capture his lips in yet another kiss as he started to fuck him, keeping up the pace he had set. He could tell Newton liked it hard, fast, and rough from how needy he'd been when Hermann was finger fucking him, so he did not want to disappoint. However, he was not too keen on the rest of the Shatterdome hearing Newton's cries. It was slightly difficult to keep himself propped up, kiss Newton, and keep up the brutal pace, but Hermann was able to do so until Newton was panting 'close, close, close' against his mouth. Hermann managed to fit a hand between them and started pumping Newton's cock as fast as he was fucking him. It only took a minute or two for Newton to come. He practically screamed as his cum shot up and covered the Trespasser tattoo that spanned across his chest. He slumped back onto the bed and Hermann didn't try to stop himself from following suit.

"Oh my God, Hermann, get off. I'm a mess."

"Don't care," Hermann mumbled.

"Oh, baby, you've done all the work so far, haven't you?" Newton cooed. "No wonder you're so worn out. Alright, lemme take care of you."

Newton somehow managed to flip them over without Hermann's cock slipping from his hole. Newton simply wiggled around for a moment, and Hermann reached out to grab his hips to try and get Newton moving. Well, moving how Hermann needed most. Newton, however, batted his hands away, but thankfully he started to rock up and down. Surprisingly, he started out slow and gentle, but it didnt' take long for him to speed up. Despite having come no longer than five minutes previously, he moaning loudly himself, and Hermann realized that with the new angle, he must be hitting Newton's prostate. As he was getting close to his own orgasm, he felt Newton clench around him. His cock twitched uselessly, but he looked exactly as he had when he had come. He screamed just as loudly, as well.

"Newt, did you..."

Newton laughed in response as he continued bouncing himself on Hermann's cock, and that was all it took. Hermann came with a quiet shout of his own. He ran his hands up and down Newton's back as he laughed a little himself.

"Well, that was..."

"I can't believe you're the one that ended up with the words fucked out of him," Newton joked. "But yeah. That was amazing."

"Newton, can you blame me?" Hermann said, drowning out Newton's last sentence. "You came without me touching you!"

"That was a prostate orgasm, baby," Newton said as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Been awhile since I had one of those, so thanks."

"Well, you're welcome. Now, we better get up and clean you off."

"So soon?" Newton asked with a pout.

"Newton, I'm sure your semen is already starting to dry. We wait any longer, and it's not going to be pleasant."

"I don't want to be empty yet," Newton said quietly. He seemed embarrassed to admit it.

Hermann couldn't have that. He rubbed his thumb across Newton's cheek and gave him a chaste kiss.

"Alright. I suppose it can wait a little longer."

"Thank you," Newton said as he snuggled up on Hermann's chest. His head was nestled on Hermann's shoulder, giving him ample access to Hermann's neck which he immediately took advantage of, kissing it every once in awhile. "You know, not that I'm complaining because I was absolutely not lying when I said that was amazing, but it seemed I barely to find out much about your dirty secrets, but you found out how many of mine. It's not fair."

"There's always next time," Hermann pointed out. "But I suppose I could tell you a secret right now."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I think we found the perfect way to quiet my mind."

Newton laughed happily, and it was the mos beautiful sound Hermann had ever heard. It wasn't the 'loud' distraction he had been looking for. It was infinitely better.

**Author's Note:**

> this was only supposed to be a short thing i have no idea what happened omg i'm just glad it's done
> 
> the ridiculous band names came from a band name generator and lemme tell you i got a good laugh out of that


End file.
